“Don’t cry.” He tightened his arm around her. “We’re doing the right thing for our son.”

She nestled alongside his chest, so close she could hear the echo of his heart. Should she tell him the truth? she asked herself. Surely he’d understand that Basra wasn’t safe, that there was nowhere to hide in Iraq. Abdul Amir rolled over and stared at her with a tenderness Huda had thought long dead. Abruptly, love plunged its dagger into doubt.

“I’m not going to Basra.” She held her breath for a moment, then continued on, her words tiptoeing out as quiet as ghosts. “I’m not going to the village either. I’m taking Khalid to Jordan. It’s the only way he’ll be safe.”

Abdul Amir’s eyes went round with shock.

“We are Iraqi. We don’t abandon our country.” He spoke too loud. They both flinched.

“I love our country too,” Huda murmured into his ear. “But we need to go someplace the mukhabarat can’t find us. If we stay in Iraq, they’ll hunt us down. You know that.”

“Khalid is Iraqi,” he whispered. “This is his home.”

“An innocent man has been murdered.” She levered herself onto her elbows and stared into Abdul Amir’s sea-green eyes. “I can see the guilt in your face. I know it’s like acid eating you inside. Do you want that for your son? Do you want him in the fedayeen? Do you want him to become a man like the Bolt Cutter?”

“Of course not.” Abdul Amir shook his head, like he was still trapped in his bad dream.

“Then you either help me to get our son to safety.” She bit her lip. “Or you can tell the mukhabarat everything and leave Khalid without a mother.”

He shook his head.

“Khalid belongs in Iraq.”

“Until now, I did what the mukhabarat asked. I did what you asked too.” She leaned close, breath brushing against his ear. “I ignored what my heart was telling me, and it only led to tears. Listen to yours now. Listen to your heart, I beg you.”

* * *

Huda sunk deep into the front seat of the embassy Land Cruiser. In the side mirror, she could see Ghassan waiting outside Ally’s gate. He hadn’t yet noticed it was her behind the wheel. She squinted into the early-morning haze, and searched for the mukhabarat stationed in the vacant house next door.

“Mom, why are you looking so weird?” said Khalid.

“Me?” Huda glanced in the rearview mirror. “Weird?”

Khalid ran his hands over the soft leather of the back seat.

“The way you’re smiling reminds me of the Joker.”

“The Joker?”

“One of Batman’s enemies.” He rested his hands behind his head. “We’re really traveling in style to Lake Habbaniyah. You’d think you’d be happy, but you’re looking all weird instead.”